I can't speak for everyone here, but I also hate the random camera angles on the National broadcasts. TNT actually lets you (or used to?) watch games for free using TNT overtime. I would never watch it for more than a few minutes because all of the camera angles were pretty much unwatchable.
I think Fox and NBC both cover Nascar, Fox seems to put more effort and money into the broadcast. It's the same with football, the Fox broadcasts are much better than CBS.
I know a person or two have shat on the entirety of you and your crew - but I hope you realize that that's not group consensus. You and your crew do a great job. The only issue are the alternate camera angles used during live action. They are fine for replays, but baseline and overhead cameras should never be used during live action. Sitting in the truck with you guys will not change this. If you can get your crew to fix this one issue nobody will ever have anything to complain about with regards to the quality of the broadcasts.
Having fancy angles is great for replays, but when the game is live I don't want to see fancy angles. I want to watch from the classic sideline angle so I can see the action. I don't want to watch guys run with a view from behind them. I don't want to feel like I'm sitting on the court when the game is live. I just want to watch the game. I shouldn't have to miss action because you guys get caught with your pants down zooming in on Aminu's dimple. This has NOTHING to do with what you guys have done with replays. You do great work, and if you have helped get us wins, good on you. Props for everyone. You shall receive a gold star for your services. What we are talking about is the camera angles during live action. We as fans don't give a rats ass about your beautiful art. We just want to watch the game. PS - Sly is a company shill.
tl:dr (says the author of some of the longest posts in forum history) J/K, I read it and appreciated it, but was going to post this even before I did: Worst in the business? No way, not even close Typical fan overreaction. I haven't seen the work of every broadcast team in the league, but I've seen enough to know that Blazers Broadcasting is one of the better ones. Perfect? No, but who is? I will say, that I enjoy being able to watch the games and, in general, am very happy with the quality of my viewing experience. So, props to THE HCP and the rest of the Blazer Broadcasting team. As HCP mentions, basketball is a very fast moving sport. And like most cases, professionals who do it every day make it look much easier than it is (insert obligatory racist landscape maintenance joke here). So, when those professionals fuck up, people notice. Other than a couple overly negative overreactions, nobody is complaining about the quality of the replays, highlight packages, pregame/postgame or general production values. It's one very specific complaint, that should be correctable: the camera angles and shots during live action. I'm not sure who makes those decisions in real time and don't really care. I just know this, when the action is live, I want to see the action. I don't want to see the players reactions, until there is a dead ball. The rule should be simple: during live action show the action. Save the artsy-farsty, creative stuff for time outs and other breaks in the action. You're right, basketball is a very fast moving sport. So, that means being MORE conservative, NOT more creative on the camera angles during play. Myself, and several others here have expressed disappointment in not seeing the Crowder 3-pointer as it happen. Missing that key play definitely detracted from my viewing experience. It was a lead changing shot with 1:08 left in a very intense game. I really did not need to see a close up of Aminu's facial expression while the ball was still in play. A very poor decision by whoever makes those decisions. Again, keep it simple. Until the ref blows the whistle to stop play, keep the live camera focused on the action. When discussing the previous night's Blazers game with my co-workers, never once have I heard anyone say, yeah, it was a great win, but I really wish the camera angles would have been more creative. So, again, thanks to you and your team for your hard work and the quality of the product you produce for my entertainment, but in the future please tell those who make these decisions, that this fan would prefer simple over fancy when it comes to live action. I'd rather see a boring camera angle of an exciting play, than a creative shot that leads to missing one millisecond of live action. As you said, basketball is a fast moving sport. You never know in advance when that critical millisecond will occur. So, show them all and use your creative talents during dead ball situations. There are plenty of those to fill during every NBA game. BNM
Thanks for posting that. It's the first time I've actually seen the Crowder 3-pointer. Yep, that's the proper, conservative camera angle for that play. BNM
I liked the post but I hate it when people leave out the NHL? It's the fastest sport around. What about NASCAR or does that not count as a sport?
It's been a few years since they did the zoom cam thing. I mostly watch races on the NASCAR Race View app on my phone, which is pretty cool if you (like me) don't have a TV.
NASCAR is fast, but you always know where they're going in advance (turn left, turn left, turn left, turn left, repeat a few hundred times). BNM
You might now where they go in advance but there's always a chance of a good crash happening. As for the NHL, not only is it the fastest, There is no out of bounds and always body contact going on.
Yep, that's why they set up multiple stationary cameras around the course. That way if they miss a crash during the live feed, they can cut to a replay. Again, having a fixed course with all cars going in the same direction, makes it easier than a sport with random action in multiple directions. Not saying it's easy, but it's all relative. BNM
It's not like 99% of the action doesn't happen in the same 90' x 40' area in basketball. Just be confident enough in the excitement of Blazer basketball to say "you know what, the standard camera is good for live action in the fourth quarter."
